Orbitz Insists The Flight I Took Was Actually Canceled, Withholds $133

You know those paranoid sci-fi stories where everything the protagonist thought he knew about reality starts to come apart at the seams and he has to question whether he really is married to Sharon Stone or maybe he’s really trapped on an island with that Hobbit guy? Well, that’s what Orbitz is doing to Devin (well, maybe not the Sharon Stone part).

See, back in July, Devin and his sister booked a September trip to Las Vegas through. A couple weeks before departing, he got an e-mail from Orbitz saying he’d scored $133 from the site’s Price Assurance guarantee.

But now, two months later, Devin has still not received that money and is beginning to doubt the fabric of reality itself because Orbitz insists that Devin’s flight — the one that took him in the air to Las Vegas — was actually canceled.

He has spent the last two days e-mailing Orbitz, which apparently exists in an alternate plane where Devin never went on the trip to Vegas.

“Although, let’s say it was canceled,” writes Devin, holding on to his belief that he flew to Nevada and did not somehow fold space and time without remembering, “Shouldn’t I have been refunded my ticket purchase price?”

So why would Orbitz insist this mystery flight never existed?

Devin’s best guess is that it has something to do with the fact that he booked his flight on July 25, only five days before Orbitz changed its Price Assurance policy.

If he’d booked the tickets on July 31 or after, he’d be receiving the money in the form of “Orbucks,” an account credit he’d have to use within a year. But since he booked before that date, Devin is supposed to receive his $133 in the form of a check.

We’ll be checking with Orbitz to see if there is an explanation. We’re not sure if Orbitz would go so far as to attempt to rewrite history in order to not pay Devin his money, but it’s sure doing a good job of keeping him from collecting.

UPDATE: After Devin’s story appeared on Consumerist, Orbitz looked into the matter and confirmed Devin’s reality. The company says a check is being dispatched to him ASAP.

Here is the statement from Orbitz:

“Orbitz has looked into Devin’s issue. He did travel to Las Vegas and was provided incorrect information. Orbitz is making good on our Price Assurance promise. In fact, our records indicate that his Price Assurance refund was processed on November 1. He will receive his refund within 14 days.”